The State Audit Office of Latvia continues its active involvement in international development cooperation. In July, it met with more than 30 representatives of state institutions from Uzbekistan at two experience exchange events. The focus of the meetings was on Latvia’s experience in strategic planning, strengthening good governance and implementing anti-corruption measures.
From 21 to 28 July 2025, 13 employees of state institutions from Uzbekistan, selected through a competitive process, were visiting Latvia. The delegation included representatives from the Strategic Reform Agency, the Revenue Service, the State Asset Management Agency, the Development Strategy Centre and ministries. As part of the visit, a discussion forum “Latvia’s Experience in Strategic Planning at National, Sectoral and Municipal Levels and Civic Engagement” was held, in which the experts from the State Audit Office of Latvia shared their practical vision on citizen participation, the role of local and regional governments and state supervision mechanisms.
Representatives of the State Audit Office of Latvia provided insight into audit planning and monitoring the implementation of recommendations, as well as data analysis and assessment of the achievement of policy goals. Council Member Maija Āboliņa, Head of the Digital Governance Sector Ingrīda Kalniņa-Junga and Head of the Economics and Energy Sector Egīls Vidžups shared their practical experience. The talks allowed for an exchange of experience and insight into the governance practices and challenges of Uzbekistan.
“The basis of the activities of a supreme audit institution of a democratic and law-based state is independence, that is, freedom of action to determine the content and timing of audits. It imposes responsibility that is the freedom of action to be implemented impartially and professionally based on risk analysis and focusing on topics that affect numerically smaller groups of society, as well as topics with a significant impact on public trust in state administration. Only then can practical positive changes be felt as a result of public sector auditing, which often requires persistent and patient work in monitoring recommendations,” explained Ms Maija Āboliņa, Council Member of the State Audit Office of Latvia about the audit planning process and the implementation of recommendations.
“Data is the gold of the 21st century. This resource allows you to optimise processes, reduce costs, and streamline results. The use of data is essential both in the public sector and for those who monitor it. Modelling alternatives, making decisions, detecting fraud, and automating; the prerequisite in all these processes is the availability and use of high-quality, relevant, and up-to-date data. It does not always have to be expensive and resource-intensive. We have developed reusable data analysis solutions for auditors who perform audits of reporting items,” explained Ms Ingrīda Kalniņa-Junga, Head of the Digital Governance Sector about data collection and the importance of analytical capacity.
“In policy planning, it is important to identify the needs of society, decisions should be made based on data and understandable, measurable and achievable goals should be set. In audits, we assess not only the achievement of the goals set by state institutions, but we pay special attention to the reasons why they have not been achieved. Our intention is not to look for the guilty, but rather for opportunities to improve the processes of policy planning and implementation to create greater benefits for society,” explained Mr Egīls Vidžups, Head of the Economics and Energy Sector about the assessment of the achievement of policy planning goals and the culture of responsibility.
In addition, 20 more experts from various institutions of Uzbekistan visited the State Audit Office of Latvia on 8 July 2025, including the Anti-Corruption Agency, the Ministries of Justice and Higher Education, the Police Academy and others. Auditor General Edgars Korčagins presented the integrity framework of the institution: legal framework, educational activities and verification of the integrity framework. “The creation of an integrity framework is just the beginning. Its implementation and improvement are a daily task, in which the attitude of management and the involvement of all colleagues are crucial,” emphasised Auditor General Edgars Korčagins.
The State Audit Office of Latvia is implementing the development cooperation project “Building the capacity of the EU Eastern Partnership and the Supreme Audit Institution of Uzbekistan in the process of integrating the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI)”. This cooperation helps to improve the state administration of Uzbekistan and strengthens its supreme audit institution. In this way, Latvia provides Uzbekistan with targeted and practical support.
International cooperation of the State Audit Office of Latvia:
- Participates in the platform of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the Member States of the European Union and the European Court of Auditors Contact Committee, as well as acts as an auditor of international organizations;
- Ensures participation in and professional contribution to the work of INTOSAI, EUROSAI international working groups and in the INTOSAI Financial Auditing Standards Subcommittee;
- Provides development and other support to supreme audit institutions of other countries and offering international consulting services as a professional, highly qualified, and experienced consultant in public sector auditing.
About the State Audit Office of Latvia
The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia is an independent, collegial supreme audit institution. The purpose of its activity is to find out whether the actions with the financial means and property of a public entity are legal, correct, useful and in line with public interests, as well as to provide recommendations for the elimination of discovered irregularities. The State Audit Office conducts audits in accordance with the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions INTOSAI (ISSAI), the recognition of which in Latvia is determined by the Auditor General. Upon discovering deficiencies, the State Audit Office of Latvia provides recommendations on resolving these issues and informs law enforcement authorities about any potential infringements of the law.
Additional information
Mr Aivis Majors
PR Specialist in Digital Content Development
of Communication Division
Ph: 23282284 | E-mail: Aivis.Majors@lrvk.gov.lv